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[Q] Galaxy S6 Full Disk Encryption

Hey,
I've just taken delivery of my spanking new S6 (my first steps into the world of Android, from a previous Apple filled life)
I'm keen on security and I know Apple fully encrypt their phones as standard. I know that Android and manufacturers are not turning it as from the get go as I heard they don't want to damage their benchmarks (correct me if I'm wrong on any of this) my question is, does it actually slow it down that I would notice a difference? I'm keen to do it! Also, if I did encrypt it and I for some insane reason decided to turn it off, can I roll i roll it back?
Go easy, I'm a noob!
DG

I encrypted my S6 several days ago.
Although I didn't do before and after benchmarks, my phone does not feel noticeably slower. I'd be surprised if there isn't an effect, it I can't tell.
The one exception is (re)boots. The first decryption adds approximately 30-60 seconds to boot time.
Finally, yes, you can decrypt the phone altogether if you need to for any reason.
Hope that helps!
DanGlee said:
Hey,
I've just taken delivery of my spanking new S6 (my first steps into the world of Android, from a previous Apple filled life)
I'm keen on security and I know Apple fully encrypt their phones as standard. I know that Android and manufacturers are not turning it as from the get go as I heard they don't want to damage their benchmarks (correct me if I'm wrong on any of this) my question is, does it actually slow it down that I would notice a difference? I'm keen to do it! Also, if I did encrypt it and I for some insane reason decided to turn it off, can I roll i roll it back?
Go easy, I'm a noob!
DG
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

johnpwu said:
I encrypted my S6 several days ago.
Although I didn't do before and after benchmarks, my phone does not feel noticeably slower. I'd be surprised if there isn't an effect, it I can't tell.
The one exception is (re)boots. The first decryption adds approximately 30-60 seconds to boot time.
Finally, yes, you can decrypt the phone altogether if you need to for any reason.
Hope that helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the reply. I'm not too fussed if its a little slower to boot, it rarely gets switched off.
I might go ahead and do it. Thanks.

DanGlee said:
Thank you for the reply. I'm not too fussed if its a little slower to boot, it rarely gets switched off.
I might go ahead and do it. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Full Disc Encryption absolutely slows down your device. Anything that needs to use storage will run significantly slower. You will likely notice that apps load slower. Once an app is loaded performance won't be any different though.
FDE makes reads and writes to the disc about 3-5x slower.
Also you cannot simply turn off encryption. You pretty much have to factory reset your phone to get rid of the encryption. So if you want to go back, you need to backup all your apps and data, factory reset the phone, then reload all your apps and data.

Erasmus354 said:
Full Disc Encryption absolutely slows down your device. Anything that needs to use storage will run significantly slower. You will likely notice that apps load slower. Once an app is loaded performance won't be any different though.
FDE makes reads and writes to the disc about 3-5x slower.
Also you cannot simply turn off encryption. You pretty much have to factory reset your phone to get rid of the encryption. Slo if you want to go back, you need to backup all your apps and data, factory reset the phone, then reload all your apps and data.
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My understanding is that this is not correct, though I am open to being wrong.
As for speeds, as I mentioned, I cannot comment on actual I/O speeds or benchmark results. I merely meant that subjectively, the phone remains blazing fast. I have no doubt synthetic benchmarks can detect what I cannot.

johnpwu said:
My understanding is that this is not correct, though I am open to being wrong.
As for speeds, as I mentioned, I cannot comment on actual I/O speeds or benchmark results. I merely meant that subjectively, the phone remains blazing fast. I have no doubt synthetic benchmarks can detect what I cannot.
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Click to collapse
When I had my moto x 2013, encryption would wipe the phone if you turned it off. I wonder if they included a way around that with this phone. That would be pretty impressive
Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk 2

johnpwu said:
My understanding is that this is not correct, though I am open to being wrong.
As for speeds, as I mentioned, I cannot comment on actual I/O speeds or benchmark results. I merely meant that subjectively, the phone remains blazing fast. I have no doubt synthetic benchmarks can detect what I cannot.
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Click to collapse
Can you still use fingerprints to unlock your phone?

joro2077 said:
Can you still use fingerprints to unlock your phone?
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Generally, yes.
If you do a soft reboot, you will be required to enter your backup password. From then on you can simply use he fingerprint until you boot again.

Got curious, did a little digging.
Here's AndroidAuthority's shot of an S6 benchmark (like I said, I didn't do any before encrypting, so I can't present my own)(first image)
I'm attaching a screenshot of the scores I just got, also using AnTuTu (second image)

Fast or full encryption?

I am planning on encrypting my phone but i was curious about the benefits of going full encryption rather than fast. I know that encryption has negligible impact on battery and speed. What does full encryption do that fast doesn't?

Well you should know if you read what your phone says on the screen... it says full encryption is the whole storage and fast is just the used storage. Full is a lot better but takes a lot longer.

Is your phone rooted? Then please don't try encrypting. I just tried and f*cked it up. Everything gone haha.

crzykiller said:
Well you should know if you read what your phone says on the screen... it says full encryption is the whole storage and fast is just the used storage. Full is a lot better but takes a lot longer.
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Yeah.. Didn't go that for and read it. Thanks. Went with full. Didn't take as long as i expected it was going to take with 64gb version
Kapitein187 said:
Is your phone rooted? Then please don't try encrypting. I just tried and f*cked it up. Everything gone haha.
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Click to collapse
Got the AT&T version, no root options now sadly
My phone feels faster after Encryption. Had a lot of lagging before but its gone for now

Encrypt whole phone, considerations

Hi!
I'm very satisfied with the latest (1 March) 6.01 stock rom with cata mod on top of it.
I have never encrypted whole phone, I need to hear some pros and cons.
For example, if I encrypt it, I couldn't use any more swipe to unlock, only pin, that's OK. If I loose the phone, I will have less worries if it was encrypted, that's OK.
But what about speed, will I loose some speed (in everyday work, boot time) if enc?
Most important, will I be able to perform backup and restore from TWRP?
If I choose to enc, what is the procedure, I understand internal sdcard will also be encrypted?
Thanks in advance.

I have only Nexus devices (5 & 6), so I can't answer your SD card question.
I have used a N5 & N6 both encrypted and unencrypted, and I've read the report saying that there is a 50% performance hit (or whatever the figure is - it's supposed to be enormous in statistical terms) but in real-world usage there is no difference whatsoever that I can see. No stuttering, no lagging, no slow startup, absolutely nothing. If it takes an extra second to boot, I can't see it.
On the other hand, my wife lost her unencrypted Galaxy S2 a couple of months ago, so some slimy scumbag somewhere has access to our photos. No big deal, nothing embarrassing, but nevertheless I don't like the idea of some filthy lowlife creep looking at our personal family photos.
I tried Android N for a few days and didn't like the many apps that didn't work (including root, now resolved with SuperSU v2.70), so I restored my TWRP M backup. No problems whatsoever.
Go for it. I unreservedly encourage everybody to encrypt their devices. An imperceptible 5% hit is nothing to pay for peace of mind.

dahawthorne said:
Go for it. I unreservedly encourage everybody to encrypt their devices. An imperceptible 5% hit is nothing to pay for peace of mind.
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Very useful experience, thank you. By internal sdcard, i meant internal storage, not sdcard actually.

Ah, in that case, yes. I wasn't thinking...
Since the internal sdcard *is* the phone's data repository, it wouldn't make sense to leave it unencrypted...

Autofocus broken

Hello,
I just realized that the autofocus of the rear (main) camera of my pixel 3 is broken out of the blue. It just focuses to a plane which is about 10 cms in front of the lens. Is that a known HW weakness of the Pixel 3 camera, SW issue I consider unlikely, since it did not happen after an lineageos upgrade? Or am I simply unlucky and only my device broke?
Many thanks
Rainer

Any recent upgrades or updates?
Try in safe mode, try a factory reset, but it sounds like the micromotor that focusses the lense failed. Possible SOC/mobo failure as that is part of the autofocus circuit.
Possibly a loose connector...

Thanks for the quick reply. No unfortunately no recent upgrades or updates.
I will try a warranty claim. I was hoping that this is a known weak point of the phone.

Quick but unrelated question: how do I enter safe mode? if I do a long press on the power or restart button, the menu simply disappears again. Do I need to enable the safe mode option somewhere or is this a lineageos bug? I am using the lineageos build 20230530.

rdorsch said:
Thanks for the quick reply. No unfortunately no recent upgrades or updates.
I will try a warranty claim. I was hoping that this is a known weak point of the phone.
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You're welcome. The micromotors are generally very reliable. I've had many Canon lens and 4 smartphones and have never seen a AF failure because of something like this.
It could even be firmware corruption although unlikely. No easy answer, sorry.
A warranty claim is probably your best option.

rdorsch said:
Quick but unrelated question: how do I enter safe mode? if I do a long press on the power or restart button, the menu simply disappears again. Do I need to enable the safe mode option somewhere or is this a lineageos bug? I am using the lineageos build 20230530.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure for this model. Timing and sequence matter.
I've said this before... troubleshooting stock builds is much easier as their behavior is more well known and thus predictable.
Would it work with the stock rom? If so what would this mean... probably a SOC/mobo failure -if- the coding was good and not corrupted on the alternative firmware/software. It adds many more variables to troubleshooting and makes doing so even more difficult.

Good point, I will try that route, but I thought safe mode is a cheap test I can do before. I consider it unlikely that it helps, but if it does, it would be a big win. Although in this case, I probably would also need at least a full wipe.

rdorsch said:
Good point, I will try that route, but I thought safe mode is a cheap test I can do before. I consider it unlikely that it helps, but if it does, it would be a big win. Although in this case, I probably would also need at least a full wipe.
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If safe mode works it's likely a third party app. Uninstalling it will usually work unless it permanently altered a hidden user setting(s).
This happens sometimes with poorly coded apps. I try to avoid using the factory reset option because unless you find the issue it can likely reoccur.
A Single Event Upset can corrupt any one byte of data in any partition on the phone as well. They are rare but do happen; more as you go up in altitude. In space they become common place.
The one byte flip can become significant if it's part of a critical piece of data. That's one reason why spacecraft have multiple redundant computers.

Just for completeness: restoring the Google factory image did not resolve the problem. So it seems to be a hardware defect.

Same issue here since February. Somebody said it was the adhesive for the glass slipping over the sensor in their case. I haven't opened mine up to check though

Data recovery from hard-bricked phone

I have a Pixel XL that's hardbricked. Took it to a GSM shop they said the charging port works but something something CPU fried. No gsm shop in our city can fix this apparently but he heard that some folks could do it in New York City.
I don't want to recover the phone, just the data on it. Do you guys know shops that can do this ?

gtech99 said:
I have a Pixel XL that's hardbricked. Took it to a GSM shop they said the charging port works but something something CPU fried. No gsm shop in our city can fix this apparently but he heard that some folks could do it in New York City.
I don't want to recover the phone, just the data on it. Do you guys know shops that can do this ?
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Not at any reasonable price point. What happened to the phone? Recovering the data from the flash devices would involve prohibitively expensive forensic data recovery, to the point of removing the flash devices from the board and interfacing with them using special tools. The people who have the means and the knowledge to do this are few and far between. Assuming there's no physical damage, someone with the Qualcomm Product Support Tool software and the appropriate binaries could potentially perform a low level reflash so the phone will boot...but again, the people who are actually able to do this are few and far between, assuming they even have the necessary files (which are not publicly available). The average repair shop will just replace the board, which means all the data is never recovered.

gtech99 said:
I have a Pixel XL that's hardbricked. Took it to a GSM shop they said the charging port works but something something CPU fried.
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Click to collapse
Speaking of a fried CPU, it means due to overheating CPU’s electrical components like transistors, diodes or capacitors are burned up. You will find overheating happened with some CPUs which didn’t have any fail-safe features or were overclocked by pushing high voltage. Sometimes using a faulty motherboard and faulty PSU can do this type of damage.becauseSo, you if you really ended up with a fried CPU, what is quite rare these days because, as said, modern CPUs have advanced thermal protection ( CPU will shut down automatically if it reaches a high temperature. If CPU temperature rises high due to high clock speed then it reduces the clock speed to a lower level ), you will have the worst luck to recover data from phone.
Note: it’s not possible to fix a fried CPU. Try to replace it with a new one.

V0latyle said:
Not at any reasonable price point. What happened to the phone? Recovering the data from the flash devices would involve prohibitively expensive forensic data recovery, to the point of removing the flash devices from the board and interfacing with them using special tools. The people who have the means and the knowledge to do this are few and far between. Assuming there's no physical damage, someone with the Qualcomm Product Support Tool software and the appropriate binaries could potentially perform a low level reflash so the phone will boot...but again, the people who are actually able to do this are few and far between, assuming they even have the necessary files (which are not publicly available). The average repair shop will just replace the board, which means all the data is never recovered.
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I haven't done anything special with this phone. Never rooted it or installed other bootloaders, etc. It was a generic bland Pixel XL. It might have overheated a few times in the summer when I was using it in my car for Waze but otherwise nothing.
Before it shutdown for good it had some strange reboots and I think I recall there was some Pixel bug that was causing that. After doing that for a few weeks it stopped turning on completely.
Isn't a procedure like this available for the Pixel ?
https://flashfixers.com/recover-data-dead-phone-chip-off-data-recovery/

gtech99 said:
I haven't done anything special with this phone. Never rooted it or installed other bootloaders, etc. It was a generic bland Pixel XL. It might have overheated a few times in the summer when I was using it in my car for Waze but otherwise nothing.
Before it shutdown for good it had some strange reboots and I think I recall there was some Pixel bug that was causing that. After doing that for a few weeks it stopped turning on completely.
Isn't a procedure like this available for the Pixel ?
https://flashfixers.com/recover-data-dead-phone-chip-off-data-recovery/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I was referring to by removing the flash device from the PCB. You would need fairly specialized tools, incluing a reader that's able to interface with the chip, and you'd have to have significant knowledge of how to interpret the raw data as the actual file structure. If you can find someone who thinks they can do this, good luck...but if it were me, I'd be charging about $150 an hour to do it.
And, this is all assuming that the data isn't encrypted. If it is (which Android does by default) then you're SOL.

V0latyle said:
That's what I was referring to by removing the flash device from the PCB. You would need fairly specialized tools, incluing a reader that's able to interface with the chip, and you'd have to have significant knowledge of how to interpret the raw data as the actual file structure. If you can find someone who thinks they can do this, good luck...but if it were me, I'd be charging about $150 an hour to do it.
And, this is all assuming that the data isn't encrypted. If it is (which Android does by default) then you're SOL.
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Ah, ok. I'd pay 300$ to have this recovered is that reasonable ? Or it might be way more than that ? Guess I need to find a shop that does this sort of thing

gtech99 said:
Ah, ok. I'd pay 300$ to have this recovered is that reasonable ? Or it might be way more than that ? Guess I need to find a shop that does this sort of thing
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Best of luck to you, honestly I think the money would be better spent elsewhere.